ATLANTA — The last time the Rams walked into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, they had a Super Bowl championship in their sights.

This time, they would settle for any old victory.

Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons once shaped up as a welcome road test for the Rams as they try to stay on top of the NFC after losing that Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

Instead the Falcons represent a different kind of test for the Rams, who are simply trying to get back above .500 and prove they’re still playoff contenders.

The Rams (3-3) face the Falcons (1-5) while trying to deal with their first three-game losing streak under coach Sean McVay, work around injuries sidelining as many as five starters, and process the trades this week that brought them Jalen Ramsey and cost them Marcus Peters.

McVay said the setbacks set up a test of the Rams’ even-keel culture, of whether coaches and players practice what they preach.

“It’s easy to say when you’re winning or when everything’s going good for you,” McVay said. “But when you do face a little bit of that adversity, I think that’s when you truly get tested.”

Rams players talk about being one win away from recovering their mojo.

“(After) three losses, we can bounce back and win 10 straight. We’re just trying to get it back on track,” said Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who will be rushing Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, hoping to help contain the NFL’s most aggressive passing attack.

The Falcons expected to get back to the playoffs this season after slipping last year, but they have only the one win, in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Considering how bad they’ve been, it might be surprising how much of a threat the Falcons present to the Rams, with Ryan throwing to what L.A. safety Eric Weddle calls a “three-headed monster” of receivers Julio Jones, Austin Hooper and Calvin Ridley.

It’s a particular problem right now because Weddle, an NFL veteran but a first-year Ram, has quickly become the dean of Rams starting defensive backs by process of elimination. Ramsey, an elite cornerback joined the team Tuesday in a trade; if he isn’t ready to play, Darious Williams would make his first NFL start. Troy Hill replaces the injured Aqib Talib at the other corner. Marqui Christian makes his first start in place of injured safety John Johnson.

Weddle is ready to take responsibility for keeping the secondary organized so that Ryan doesn’t pick it apart.

“Matt’s one of those guys that if he gets on a roll, he gets in rhythm, there’s really nothing you can do,” Weddle said. “As frustrating as it is to say that, he’s one of those guys that can control the game with his cadence, with his audibles, getting the ball out.

“When those upper-echelon guys get on fire, you’re just hoping they trip on their shoelaces or something.”

Ramsey and McVay indicated it might not be until Sunday that the Rams know if the 24-year-old two-time Pro Bowl selection will be ready to go after sitting out the Jacksonville Jaguars’ last three games with a sore back.

“I look forward to challenges like that,” Ramsey said of facing the Falcons’ receivers. “They’ve got elite receivers, Julio especially, arguably one of the best receivers in the league. I’d love to be out there.”

On other side of the ball, the Rams hope their offense can burst back to life against the team that’s allowing the most points in the league.

In last Sunday’s 20-7 loss to the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers, Goff passed for a career-low 78 yards and was sacked four times behind a porous offensive line.

The line, which undergoes more change Sunday with rookie David Edwards replacing injured left guard Joe Noteboom, might catch a break because Atlanta has a weak pass rush.

Not that the Rams are talking that way. They see their problems as self-inflicted and the solutions theirs to find.

“I think it is hard to have that when you do lose a few in a row, but we do have a confident group, we’ve got a group with swag,” Goff said.

“We do need to fix some things in a lot of places, and it starts with me on offense. We are getting there and getting back to it. Hopefully this is the week we are back on track.”

If they beat Atlanta, an optimist says the Rams can be 6-3 by the time they return to the Coliseum to play the Chicago Bears on Nov. 17. They face the Cincinnati Bengals in London on Oct. 27 and the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road Nov. 10.

Winning today to go 4-3 instead of 3-4 would be big. Over the past six years, NFL teams that started 4-3 made the playoffs 50% of the time (12 of 24); teams that started 3-4 made the playoffs 18% of the time (6 of 33).

They’ve returned to Atlanta. Returning to the Super Bowl is a longer journey that begins with a single step.

Kevin Modesti is a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Southern California News Group, covering Rams football and other sports. An L.A. native, he has been a sports writer, columnist and editor, an editorial board member, writer and editor in the Opinion section, and a political reporter. He lives in the San Fernando Valley.

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